Sectional folding table construction



Aug. 9, 1955 J. H. WIEGEL SECTIONAL FOLDING TABLE CONSTRUCTION FiledMarch 8, 1952 INVENTOR. JUL m5 W/EGEL BY 11 TTORNE 1'5 United StatesPatent This invention relates to improvements in table construction andmore particularly to a container-table which can be conveniently usedfor toy trains and tracks, for picnics, as a breakfast or card table andfor a variety of other purposes.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a conii tainer-tablewhich when open will substantially support articles but when closed willalso provide a container for the articles.

. Another object is to provide a container-table which in the closedposition requires but slight storage space.

Otherobjects are to decrease work, prevent loss, and

in general to increase tidiness.

Additional objects of the instant invention w-illbecome apparent in thecourse of the following specification. g

In the attainment of the aforesaid objectives, subject container-tableis made in two embodiments. In the first embodiment, the container-tableis constituted of :1 rectangular deck member around the periphery ofwhich is an upwardly directed rim. On each side of the rectangular deckmember is a hingedly attached leg member which serve in the closedposition thereof to form with the deck and rim a container. From theclosed position, each leg member is designed to be rotated through 270to the fully opened position in order to provide sturdy legs on oppositesides of the deck member for the elevation thereof in a horizontalposition above the floor or ground. The second embodiment is similar tothe first except that two like transversely foldable deck members areused with each deck member supported by two leg members similar to theleg members of the first embodiment.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsshowing by way of illustration the preferred embodiments of theinventive concept.

In the drawings:

Figures 1-3 show the first embodiment of the container-table constructedin accordance with the principles of this invention, and in which;

Figure l is a perspective view of the container-table in 1 thecompletely closed position;

Figure 2 is an end view of the container-table shown in Figure 1 but inthe partially open position; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the container-table shown in Figure 1but in the fully open position.

Figures 4-5 show the second embodiment of the container-table and inwhich;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the container-table in the partiallyopened position; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the container-table shown in Figure 4but in the completely closed position as shown by the solid lines and inthe partially opened position as shown by the dot-dashed lines.

Referring now in greater detail to the first embodiment of thecontainer-table shown in Figures 1-3 where like reference numeralsindicate like parts, reference numeral Patented Aug. 9, 1955 iceindicates the deck member, and 11 and 12 the leg members.

The deck member 10 is constituted of a rectangular flat surface portionaround the peripheral edges of which is the upwardly directed rim 13.The rim has a substantially uniform but relatively slight height inorder that the deck can be readily accessible. The deck and the rim maybe formed from any suitable material and the rim may be attached to theperipheral edges of the deck in a known manner or may be integrallyformed. therewith. The shape of the deck need not be rectangular butcould be, for example, circular.

The leg members 11 and 12 are similar and each is constituted of thespaced parallel side members 14 and 15 and the spaced parallel endmembers 16 and 17. The side member 14 of each leg member has a heightgreater than that of the rim 13. The side member 15 may have a heightsubstantially equal to the height of the side mem ber 14 or it may havea less height as illustrated or it is even possible to use only one sidemember 14. Each end member 16 and 1'7 has a height equal to that of theside member 14 minus the height of the rim 13 so that, as shown later,when the leg members are rotated over the top of the deck the endmembers will be superposed on the rims at the ends of the deck member.The corresponding ends of the side and end members are fastened togetherby any suitable means and in such a manner that the peripheral ormarginal edges on one side of the framelike structure formed by the sideand end members will be in the same plane. Over the marginal edges ofthe side and end members in the same plane a cover member 18 is attachedby any known means.

The free edge of each side member 14 of each leg member 11 and 12 issecured by the known hinge members 19 to the bottom edge of the rim 13or the edge of the deck member 10 on opposite sides of the rectangulardeck member and in such a manner that with the leg members rotated overthe top of the deck member the end members of each leg member will besuperposed on the rims at the ends of the deck member.

In operation:

In the fully closed position, the cover members 18 of each leg memberare rotated over one-half of the top surface of the deck member 10 (Fig.1.) and are releasably attached thereto or the rims thereof by the knownlatches 20, 0ne-half of each of which is attached to the leg member andthe other one'half to the rim. In the fully opened position, the legmember 11 (Fig. 1) is rotated clockwise (Fig. 2) until (Fig. 3) one endof each end member is substantially perpendicular to the rim or deckmember which rests thereon. To prevent accidental closing of the legmembers, the braces 21 coacting with the pins 22 may be used.

In the second embodiment of the container-table shown in Figures 4 and5, reference numerals and 31 indicate two rectangular deck membershingedly joined by any suitable means (not shown) end on end. In thefully opened position both deck members are in the same plane but in theclosed position the hinged means is so arranged that the deck member 30(Fig. 4) can be rotated clockwise to be superposed on the bottom surfaceof the deck member 31. Reference numerals 34 and indicate the legmembers for the deck member 30 and reference numerals 32 and 33 the legmembers for the deck member 31.

Each deck member is provided with an upwardly directed rim around thethree outer peripheral or marginal edges but not necessarily along theline of jointure of the two deck members.

The leg members 32, 33, 34 and 35 are substantially the same as the legmembers of the previously described first embodiment, and latches andbraces may be used as in the first embodiment for securing the membersin the fully opened and the fully closed position.

In operation:

In the fully closed position as shown by the solid lines in Figure 5,the deck member 30, the leg members 34 and 35 being in the closedposition, is rotated clockwise until superposed on the bottom surface ofthe deck member 31 whereupon the two portions of the container-table aresecured together by any suitable means (not shown).

Upon the release of the fasteners holding the two portions together, thedeck member 30 (Fig. 5) is rotated counterclockwise about the transversehinged line of jointure until it is in the plane of the deck member 31,the successive stages of rotation of the deck member 30 to the plane ofthe deck member 31 being shown by the dot-dash line of Figure 5. Withthe deck members 30 and 31 in the same plane, the leg members 33 and 35are rotated clockwise (Fig. 4) and the leg members 32 and 34counterclockwise for the horizontal support of the deck members in thesame manner as described under the first embodiment.

While there is above disclosed but two embodiments of thecontainer-table, it is possible to produce still other embodimentswithout departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed, and it isdesired therefore that only such limitations be imposed on the appendedclaim as are stated therein, or required by the prior art.

What is claimed is:

A container-table comprising two rectangular deck members, the deckmembers having substantially the same dimensions, means for hingedlysecuring the deck members along corresponding ends with the deck membersin the same plane in the open position and with one of the deck memberssuperposed on the bottom surface of the 4 second deck member in theclosed position, the outer peripheral edges of each deck member havingan upwardly directed rim of substantially uniform height formedtherearound, a leg member for each side of each deck member, each legmember having spaced parallel side and end members, one side memberhaving a height greater than that of the second side member and greaterthan that of the rim, each end member having a length substantiallyequal to one-half the width of the deck member, one end member having aheight substantially 'equal to the height of the side member of greatestheight less the height of the rim, the second end member having a heightsubstantially equal to the height of the side member of greatest height,means for securing the end and side members of the leg member alongcorresponding ends with the corresponding edges on one side of themembers in the same plane, a cover member disposed over the edges of themembers in the same plane, means for hingedly securing the free edge ofeach side member of greatest height to opposite sides of each deckmember with the end member having a height substantially equal to theside member of greatest height less the height of the rim superposed onthe rim at the free end of the deck member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,002,937 Spade Sept. 12, 1911 1,781,562 Wallis Nov. 11, 1930 1,906,552Demint May 2, 1933 1,906,865 Knox May 2, 1933 2,447,731 Bureau Aug. 24,1948 2,573,104 LaBaW Oct. 30, 1951

